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December 2007 - President Warne
Photo above: |
Good morning you creators and innovators with fine timber! Woodies Christmas Market Our great experiment paid off handsomely thanks to our one time friend John and the election he had to have. I thought the bucketing rain would kill it stone dead but I was elated to find the polling booth in the big hall opposite, crowds of buyers and a most impressive display of stock in our hall. We had a good roll up of members in uniform too and I was proud of the show we put on. I wish I could thank each one of you personally here. As I walked in, my worrying about the venture evaporated and I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship we shared during the week end. The quality of our woodcrafting is extraordinary. Congratulations to all contributors. We grossed almost $5,000 and after all of the debits and credits were accounted for we had a profit of almost $2.000. Picture rails A week before the market we had a mini working bee at St Mary’s Hall to cut and fix a new picture rail. The wood had been sprayed with the right mix of stain to match the walls by our spraymaster Dave Banister and with a laser level, drop saw and nail gun we had the whole lot up in two hours. Thanks to Keith, Hugh, Bob and Ken. Video Camera??? During my demonstration of decorative finishes on the lathe, I thought what a pity it is that we are not making videos and DVDs of our demonstration sessions these days. We used to years ago and the videos are still there in the library. Who has a video camera??? The timber hunters. George Blowers and Lionel Tilley have been at it again – and where would we be without a plentiful supply of a great variety of beautiful woods. George has sourced three logs of Norfolk Island pine and Lionel followed a lead to several big logs of Silky Oak and some Black Wattle. Ron the slabber will be busy – we just love the smell of chainsaws in the morning! Our Christmas party. What a wonderfully happy occasion! Full marks to Alan Boag and his good wife, who worked so well to plan and provide the catering. George Blowers organised many of the other items. I was impressed by the way so many members and their partners gave up part of the fun to work in the kitchen. The Woodies Warblers outdid themselves this year, even with touches of harmony in the choruses! Thanks also to John Watkins with his electric piano. The toilet. The structure is finished and it only remains for some plumbing and electrical and other work and to hang the doors before it becomes operational. Please ask Harry what help he needs when you next visit the shed. Who wants to have the honour of being the first to use it?? Toys to the Salvos. Monday the 9th was handover day and several members gathered for the ceremony. Margaret Campbell from the Nambour Branch thanked the members of the Guild for their grand effort again this year. The Salvation Army really appreciates being able to receive toys for distribution to so many disadvantaged children at Christmas Have fun, learn, and stay safe! Its not the gales, but the set of the sails, that makes the difference in our lives! President Warne. |
November 2007 - President Warne
Good morning you fine crafters of exotic timbers! By the time you read this and according to Harry Wood, our new toilet will be close to completion. It has been quite a project, these days a simple structure will not do – The soil had to be tested and the concrete slab foundation had to be engineered and approved, as was the building itself. Two toilets had to be provided and both had to be designed for wheelchair access. A new tank and pump provides the water and a back up tank is on line in case of power failure or for use when the shed pump is not switched on. The building would not have proceeded so smoothly if it had not been for the able management of Harry, enthusiastically assisted by George Blowers and many others including our money eagle Tom Black who has been watching the accounts with a furrowed brow. Thank you to Dave Banister for donating an instantaneous sink heater for the meeting room and to his mate who helped him plumb it in. Congratulations to our new chum Rick Vickers who has just completed a camphor blanket box of great beauty. This was quite a challenge to Rick as a neophyte to the mysteries of wood crafting and he is delighted with the guidance he received from us as he confronted the processes and skills involved. A major breakdown this month was the motor on the cyclone dust extractor. Our sparky Gary Flood managed to lower the heavy motor to earth and it is now in Beerwah having its armature rewound. We hope to have it back soon, its loss has slowed but not daunted Dave Banister’s valiant team of toy boys! Our first Woodies Christmas Market is upon us as we prepare for this great experiment. Many of us have been working to provide stock but we need more to achieve a good showing in St Mary’s Hall on Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th of November. If any pre loved items you have made are gathering dust, or if you intend to making a few things before the show, please get a wriggle on! John Seebeck is the capable organiser and an array of job vacancies for the event is on the shed white board awaiting names if you would like to volunteer. David Southern, our prize-winning carver extraordinaire, has arranged a carving course, starting on January 14th at his home. The course was limited to four participants and it is already fully subscribed. We are scheduling more courses in an ongoing program. And Lionel Tilley, Our editor and crafter of exquisite small freeform boxes is about to commence his course. Under the care of ken Urquhart we have benefited from a regular demonstration of skill every third Saturday morning. Last month the sales manager of Festo tools ably demonstrated the new Festo jointing system and this month (On the 17th), I will be the bunny as I demonstrate ideas I have gathered and invented for decorative finishes on the lathe. ACCREDITATION! Just a reminder that we have to be strict in enforcing the rule that a machine may not be used by a person who is not accredited. This is for safety and to comply with insurance. Accreditation is easy and several senior members are qualified to assist. Please ask the shed captain for the day. Among the flow of special projects will be the fitting of picture rails to St. Mary’s Hall in Montville. This was requested by the Hall committee and we hope to complete it next Saturday in time for our Woodies Christmas Market. And speaking of Christmas, it will soon be time to down tools for our annual Christmas Party on December 9th! Alan Boag has kindly offered to assist as organiser. If he asks you to join the “Woodies Warblers” please gear up your tonsils to help us wreck some Christmas Carols on the night! Have fun, learn, and stay safe! I was taught to respect my elders, but they are getting harder to find! President Warne. |
October 2007 - President Warne
Good morning you experts with tools and fine timber. We are settling into a very active year with courses running in turning (Ray Curry) and box making (John Holland) and another in carving with Dave Southern about to start. Later, Bob Keyte will show new members how to wave a wand over a tree and turn it into a piece of fine furniture. Ken Urquhart as membership development officer, has a plan in hand for more demonstrations and courses—if you haven’t replied to his survey yet, please do, we would love to hear from you and we need the feedback. (at the time of writing we have only received 4 replies and that makes it a bit hard to guide our destiny!). If we are not computer illiterate we can Google “Woodworkers Club” and find replies from12300 clubs worldwide—mainly American—at least over there a bush can be hung up to dry for a couple of years and turned into pens or something useful!. You can also find our web page at Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild or at Hinterland Grapevine. I am looking for a member with web skills to upgrade our web site—can anyone help?. Dunny boss Harry Wood has waved a wand too, and miraculously a steel frame has appeared on top of a slab substantial enough to start a high rise. Harry & his helper have a network of pipes and wires under the ground ready to connect and George Blowers has his Dingo all over the site. George is developing a plan to coordinate working bees for Harry when hen calls for assistance. Our first Woodies Christmas Market in St Mary’s Hall will be with us before we know it. The weekend of 24th & 25th November. The idea has been mooted for several years and we decided to try it this year as an experiment. Apart from the obvious financial benefit to members and to the guild, we will sell Christmas raffle tickets and have a sausage sizzle. We are calling for a good showing of items for sale, so please get those power tools revving and let’s see what we can come up with! Our marketing expert and commercial woodsman John Seebeck has stepped in to organised the sale, advertising, and related activities. Our experienced band of willing helpers is a precious few, so please try to be prepared to step up to the plate when the pressure is on. One intricate project now completed is the dovecote which appeared under the hands of Keith Muirhead and Dave Banister, an octagonal creation in camphor laurel complete with its octagonal pointed roof.—well done fellows—and you did not forget the access holes for the doves either! (I guess all the lady will need now is some doves). Speaking of projects, I am a little concerned that increasing requests from the community are landing on the heads of the faithful hard working group who rarely have time now to make anything for themselves. We do have a procedure for acceptance of projects and the Committee has decided to appoint me as the filter. I might need to quote time delays in some cases if thew flow of requests continues to increase. If you would like to accept a challenge as a project leader I would be happy to hear from you. This can be very rewarding when others come to you for help. Audrey Kelly has been looking for relief from her duty of many hears as amenities officer and Alan Boag has volunteered to step in. Thanks you Alan, this is a vital position and you will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks too to Audrey for her iron hand in making us wash up and clean and hang up the tea towers on a thousand occasions (This has kept the rats and cokkies at bay too!) Time for the toy boys and Dave Banister is swinging into action for the Salvos with his band of devoted elves. This is perhaps the best activity we do, not only do sad and distressed children learn that the world is not such a frightening place, but many of our new members find this a friendly and easy starting point for their journey into fine woodworking. We were favoured this month with a visit from the woodies from beyond Charleville. They brought a load of their exotic timbers in exchange for some camphor laurel. George had a go at one of these logs with his chainsaw and the log now bears the legend “bloody hard”. Have a look at this interesting pile of logs next time you come. I had never heard of ooline before. Cec Wakerley has been in the sick bay during the last few weeks and we were pleased to learn that he is recovering, intending to present himself at the shed again for light duties. Keep it up Cec, we have been missing you. One thing I have wanted to see ever since we moved into the shed is a sink heater to provide hot water to wash our cups hygienically and also for the wash-up after a BBQ. At this month’s committee meeting I made Presidential request (and that’s power for you) George Blowers and Harry Wood are investigating a range of units available. Have fun—stay safe. And
remember…….As
you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters always be pointed
downwards! |
September 2007 - President Warne
This is my first column and I am enjoying my many busy duties as President. The management committee has had two meetings, one to shape up for the new year and the other to discuss the many aspects of progress with our new toilet building. Estimates are above $36,000, to be funded by the Gaming Commission grant of $25,000 plus our own funds to make up the balance – Not bad for a country toilet! Harry Wood says “If we built the shed, surely we can build a toilet!” Please assist Harry in his frequent calls for diggers and shovelers! (We may even need a woodie or two later on.) This Saturday we are putting on a BBQ to reward the volunteers – so please come and bring your shovel. Ken Urquhart and I attended the Montville Village Association AGM in August, and that led to a special meeting with the MVA executive, with Ken, Tom Black, Harry and myself to arrange accounting procedure between the two groups as work on the toilet proceeds. Lionel Tilley is emailing minutes of general meetings to all members who have notified email addresses– ANd there are many – If you are not on the list please ensure that Lionel gets your email address. During August, fourteen of us represented the Guild at a Router course in Brisbane with celebrated woodworker Richard Vaughan. We enjoyed the day and much practical knowledge was gained (Plus a little extra weight all round from the excellent lunch Richard provided!) We have booked St Mary’s Hall for the weekend of November 23rd 24th. for a sale of members’ woodcraft prior to Christmas – Subject to MVA approval – I would encourage as many of you as possible to provide items for sale, we want to make it a good show. If this experiment works, we will consider making it an annual event. I wish to encourage new members and general skills development during my term, through more demonstrations and courses. The following three courses will be underway soon: Ray Curry (Doyen of wood turners) Will be leading an introductory course for budding wood turners. We have many contenders for this course and there will be more courses soon. John Holland (Our revered cabinet maker with a working lifetime of experience) has agreed to lead a course in small box making - See the advert. in this issue. Another thought was to invite blue card holders to join a project involving conversion of a tree to an item of fine furniture – Introducing them to many of our machines and tools along the way. Bob Keyte (Our innovative prizewinning woodworker) has kindly agreed to lead this group, but not for a couple of months because he will be away. Several of our members have not renewed their memberships so far this year. George Blowers has been contacting them by phone and he reports that forgetfulness is the common thread even though reminders have been sent. If you have had a “Seniors Moment” please scratch a reminder on your TV screen right now! I would like to have our website on The Hinterland Grapevine updated and improved. (Get to it though the Community Groups button, or Google Blackall Range Woodcrafters. If possible it would be good to develop our own website to take its place with many other woodies clubs throughout the world. We need someone with the necessary IT experience to help us with this – Is there anyone out there? I have been heartened by the instant support I have received from you all as I began to find my way as President. Secretary Jeff Harrison and Treasurer Tom Black have demonstrated immediate enthusiasm and capability in their respective roles, the management committee is solid and the Guild is in good hands. Have fun. Stay safe. And remember – Whenever you put two bits of wood together, you have a fifty per cent chance of being wrong! Warne Wilson, |
August 2007 - President John
G’day everyone, Well it has been a good year for the guild, a lot has been achieved and everyone seems to be pretty happy, and this is what the guild is all about. I am grateful for this opportunity to give one of my very rare speeches, albeit my last speech as President, to thank all the members of the Guild for their great contribution this past year. Firstly, I would like to start with the vice president Warne Wilson, because if it wasn’t for Warne this past year, the president’s accomplishments would not look too good! Warne filled in for me when I was out of commission, and also when I was overloaded with family commitments. Thank you Warne for your assistance, and a more than capable vice president you certainly have been. Much appreciated, Warne! The second person I must thank is our Secretary, George Blowers. George, what can I say?. George is always “Johnny on the Spot“, always in touch with me to make sure I am kept up to speed on what is happening, and what needs attending to at any time. He has done all the hard work to finally get the new toilet block started,.. but he now insists somebody else can take this project over at any time if they would like! George, you have been, and I hope still are my good mate, a true mate, dependable when things have to get done NOW.. and always on the spot when things need to be done “yesterday”!! Sincere thanks, George for a job well done! Thirdly, I must thank our Treasurer, Jacqui Porteus. She powered on through 2 years of having to keep our financial records in order, no small accomplishment I can attest to, and she didn’t complain. I don’t know how she did it, with working full time and then coming to the Guild to balance the books. It doesn’t leave much time for woodwork that‘s for sure.. Thank you Jacqui on behalf of the Guild, for sticking with it these past 2 years, considering all your other commitments. I sincerely hope you can get back into some more woodworking projects of your own this year, and we all are in agreement, I am sure, that your time as treasurer of our Guild has not gone unappreciated by each and every one of us. Thank you again, and good on you Jacqui! Fourth, our Safety Officer, Peter Simpson. Well, Peter, you did it again and you have obviously succeeded in a job well done. You have in the past year managed to push our awareness of safe woodworking practices a long way forward I’m sure we all agree. Thank you for your contribution and consistent hard work to promoting safety throughout your time as Safety Officer. An excellent job well done. Good on you Pete! Fifth, our Shed Managers. Well we all know what they do Complain!!! Seriously though, the reality is that without the managers our machinery would probably stop running. So good on you Harry Wood, John Holland and Doug Skinner. Keeping tabs on the correct operation of some very expensive machinery is a huge part of the successful running of our Guild, and the only way to help save many potentially very costly mistakes from happening to our equipment. Please lets all of us give our Shed Managers the cooperation they deserve. Number 6 - Activities Officers: - Well, what can I say about these amazing people who have the willingness and the energy to always be there for our Guild so that we can keep going in our fundraising activities and such… and to make sure things go smoothly from start to finish. Ray Curry, John Holland, Ces Wakerley, John Clark, Warne Wilson, Peter Simpson, John Drewe. Keith Muirhead, Bob Keyte and of course Dave Banister. You all deserve a medal for your efforts! Dave is also our recruitment officer and like so many of our loyal members, wears “more than one hat”! Anyway, hats off to our activity officers! Number 7, The publicity Editor, Lionel Tilley. Well, I don’t know how this bloke does it but he does. He has to put up with all of us and he never complains. At least I don’t think he does ?? He has the job of making sure our Flitch and Chips newsletter all comes together in time for its publication. This often entails sending last minute emails to “yours truly” to remind me that the Presidents Column was due yesterday!! Lionel, Your amazing patience has not gone unnoticed! Thanks for putting up with all that I know you have to every month, in trying to get this newsletter to print on time. And last but by no means least - my thanks go out to number 8 on my list, Ken Urquhart. Without this man, it is most definitely true that my position as president would have been “toast” long ago! Ken was my P.R. man all year and he never let me down. I said from the start when I took on the job of President of the Guild, that Public Relations was DEFINITELY not my strong point - I know you all find this very hard to believe - !! Seriously though, Ken has saved my backside and stood in for me on many occasions. You have done an outstanding job in every way and I sincerely thank you for all your help above and beyond the call of duty, this past year. Ken was one of our foundling members back in 1996 when the club used to meet in a small dark shed with just a few members and even fewer tools to work with. Now that’s dedication!! Because of Ken’s ongoing commitment to the Guild over the years, I would like at this time on behalf of the Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild award Ken with “a Lifetime Membership to the Guild”. Good on you Ken. I hope we don’t lose you after you move. We will certainly be sorry to see you go. Keep in touch! Well that must just about be it from me… no NO wait wait wait, there’s MORE! I MUST thank our amenities officers for their dedicated efforts this past year. It must seem a pretty thankless job sometimes, but if you didn’t pitch in and do what you do, Audrey Kelly and John Clarke, this place would fall apart. You help make life around our Guild just that little bit more enjoyable with your help and willingness in keeping this place looking presentable and much more, in spite of the bunch of us!. And I must finally add a huge thank you to each and every member of our Guild. You are, after all, what makes our club “tick“, and we all should be extremely proud of our accomplishments both within the shed and as representatives of our Guild out there in the community at large. Well done to each and every one of you. I thank you for the opportunity to be your President this past year and I hope I lived up to your expectations for the most part! Well that’s it I believe, folks! And without further ado, I pass you over to our incoming President of the Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild, Warne Wilson.. See you all in the shed, folks. |
July 2007 - President John
G’day everyone, well this is my last column in the Flitch n’ Chips for my current term as President of the Guild. It has certainly been a year of ups and downs in every way imaginable. Most of you will be somewhat aware of what my own personal year has been like, but our Guild has also had its share of good and bad times. The loss of our late member Bob Johnson during these past 12 months would have had to be one of the most distressing times we have experienced in the Guilds history I am sure we all agree. It has been a privilege to serve as President of the Guild this past year, and I hope I have lived up to everyone's expectations. I have given and done all I could, all things considered. I want to personally thank our members who have supported myself and the Guild all along the way this past year. We would not function as we do, without each and every one of you and I hope you know that. Our Expo which was held recently as everyone will know was a great success, due to the ever-present enthusiasm and effort of the members who make our Guild what it is. As you all will know by now, the Montville Village Association has received our grant for the new toilets, and we have organised a Committee to take care of the workings and monies. Our new member, Helga Mitsiopoulos is very happy with her new bed. By the way, in last months issue of Flitch n’ Chips, I forgot to mention Warne Wilson as our primary sign-writer for the Mapleton Hall sign which was so well received. Thank you Warne. Your effort was much appreciated by all. My apologies for the oversight. Next year is a year I am looking forward to, as I hope to get down to the business of woodworking and other fun stuff more often, and maybe surprise myself! See you all in the shed, folks. |
Location Montville Sportsgrounds approximately 3 kms south
of Montville on the Montville/Maleny Road
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